Kevin Spacey is favored in this category, though Denzel Washington is the more deserving of the two. However, Denzel has both history and the current Hollywood uproar over the veracity of his film, The Hurricane to struggle against.

A very tough category (as are many this year). I’d personally favor Catherine Keener over Angelina Jolie in a close race…but Toni Collette could win on a wave of support for The Sixth Sense. Chlöe Sevigny will be unfortunately overshadowed by Hilary Swank, and has very little chance here.

It’s rare that a director nominated for a non-nominated film would win, so Spike Jonze is unfortunately left in the cold. Sam Mendes is the likeliest nominee, but Shyamalan or Hallstrom could quickly come out of the wings.

The nod for South Park is surprising, but (particularly considering Blame Canada is far from the film’s best song), it doesn’t have a chance. Pick “You’ll Be In My Heart” here…it’s a fairly easy win, though “Save Me” is more deserving.

It’s easy to pick one film that won’t win here: The Talented Mr. Ripley, whose stylish mid-20th century garb can’t compete with the more exotic fare offered by the other nominees. My pick would go to the unusual costumes of Titus, though the more conventional Academy will likely stick with Anna and the King

This is actually the closest of the three Star Wars awards, with The Matrix being more deserving, if only using the effects to enhance the plot. But, since Star Wars was itself one big visual effect, it will grab the nod here.